Why don’t English estate agents feature Extremadura?
Simple! Extremadura is a few hours drive from the coast, and while a two hour trip to the beach is fine if we’re heading down to enjoy a weekend by the coast, for an estate agent doing the longer round trip from Malaga, it’s not an attractive prospect.
Why don’t Spanish estate agents feature Extremaduran properties in English property portals?
Well, several now do. However, because this is still an unknown area of Spain, it is not one that often gets featured.
How long does it take to get to the coast from Extremadura?
While Extremadura is inland, one of the benefits is people can choose which coast to head to for a weekend or even a day. The beaches of Huelva are just 90 minutes to a couple of hours from locations in the south of the region and the beaches around Malaga around four hours. Being quite a large Spanish region, locations in the north can be over four hours from the Mediterranean coast.
How can I travel to Extremadura?
Obviously routes change periodically, but according to Just The Flight, currently the following UK airports fly to Seville airport:
Bristol
Edinburgh
Leeds-Bradford
London Gatwick
London Heathrow
London Luton
Manchester
Despite being Spain’s 4th largest city, Seville’s airport is not very busy, making it one of the more pleasant and relaxed airport experiences.
The south of the region is about three and a half hours from Malaga, which is served by many UK airports. The extreme north is about two hours from Madrid airport.
What is the climate like?
Most of Extremadura has a Mediterranean climate, typically described as hot, dry summers with mild, rainy winters. Of course rainy is a relative term as you can see by clicking here to compare the town of Zafra in Badajoz to some UK locations.
What is there to do in Extremadura?
As a region, Extremadura offers up a rich mix of things to do, particularly for those with a love of the outdoor life or an interest in history.
The opportunities for walking and cycling are constantly available across the region. This can be combined with an interest in nature, with the skies regularly revealing white storks, eagles and several types of vultures.
Across the region you can find architecture reaching back to Roman times, such as the theatre at Mérida (still used today) and on a smaller scale at Casas de Reina, overlooked by the hill fort at Reina.
The lakes in the east of the region offer some of the best fresh water angling in Europe and there are several golf courses, plus more in Seville.
What is the food like in Extremadura?
While very proud of its culinary heritage, there is an expanding variety of foods available in supermarkets. International cuisine sections are relatively recent, though expanding in their offerings. You can even pick up brown sauce and Marmite in the big Carrefour supermarkets.
However, the traditional cuisine is varied and a real treat. Extremadura is renowned for its jamon, produced from acorn fed black pigs, and offers a rich variety of cheeses. Many of which perform well at the annual international cheese awards in Trujillo.
For dining out, traditional restaurants remain the most popular choice, though Chinese restaurants are surprisingly popular. Finding an Indian is less easy, though there’s at least one in the city of Badajoz. Perhaps most striking is how few Mcdonalds and Burger Kings there are in the region.
Do many ex-pats live in Extremadura?
Life in Extremadura is very different for ex-pats compared to the popular coastal regions. There are some towns and villages that have minor hotspots of ex-pat residents if that is your preference. However, it’s easy to find locations where there are no non-Spanish residents currently, often within an easy distance of areas where there are other British residents, offering a reassuring safety net for support.